Francisco Gento and the Birth of Modern Wing Play
There are players who, unwittingly and sometimes without recognition, have changed the way football is played. However, doing so while becoming the ultimate national and international champion is something very special, on par with a legend. Francisco Gento is one of the most important names in the history of Real Madrid, and his influence has surpassed the White Club to become part of the history of European football.
Beginnings
Francisco Gento López was born on October 21, 1933, in Guarnizo, a town in the province of Cantabria, Spain. His father was a truck driver, and to help support the family, Francisco left school at the age of 14 to work on the family farm, where he took care of the livestock. His football journey began just one year later when he joined the youth team of SD Nueva Montaña, always with the dream of one day playing for Real Santander (now known as Racing Club de Santander). At that time, due to his speed, he also practiced track and field, an activity that undoubtedly helped him later, as speed was one of his defining characteristics as a football player.A couple of years later, he signed for UC El Astillero, the club in the town where he lived, and made his debut there at 17 in the top regional league of Cantabria. His talent was obvious, and this led to him moving to SD Rayo Cantabria just one year later. Rayo Cantabria was a feeder club for Real Santander (which is why Gento quickly accepted the offer), and played in what was the third tier of Spanish football at the time. In 1952, just one year after joining Rayo Cantabria, he made his debut with the first team of Real Santander, interestingly, against Barcelona. During that 1952-53 season, he only played 10 matches in the Spanish first division, scoring a couple of goals; however, that was enough for Santiago Bernabéu, the president of Real Madrid, to take notice and sign him.
The Legend Begins
In that same year, 1953, the signing of the young Gento was overshadowed by the arrival of an Argentine star, Alfredo Di Stéfano, who came from Millonarios FC in Colombia. Gento was a short but very fast player, which was unusual for the time, as the game was generally played at a slower pace. When he arrived at the club, the player from Cantabria was still a raw talent, and his role in the Madrid team was secondary, although he would win his first La Liga title that same year, the third for the club up to that date. Gento's situation led Santiago Bernabéu to consider loaning him out, but Di Stéfano himself told the president to keep him, saying that he was a fast player with a powerful shot and that he would gradually adapt to the team.Gento once recounted an incident where, during a match in which he wasn't selected to play, he decided to sit among the fans in the stands. He said he overheard some Real Madrid supporters criticizing him: "Number 11 is terrible, take Gento off!" The player from Cantabria remarked, "They think I'm bad even when I'm not playing!". Such were the beginnings of a legend.
During the 1954-55 season, he would have a slightly more prominent role, particularly as a supporting player for Alfredo Di Stéfano and Héctor Rial. That team would go on to win the league title again, and this Spanish championship title qualified them for the new European football competition, the European Cup (now known as the UEFA Champions League). Unbeknownst to him, Gento would become a legend of that fledgling competition. The European Cup had a different format than the current one: it was a purely knockout tournament in which only the champions of the 16 top leagues in Europe participated.
Real Madrid progressed through the tournament with relative ease, defeating Servette of Switzerland, Partizan Belgrade of Serbia, and AC Milan along the way, before reaching the final against Stade de Reims, a team featuring Raymond Kopa, who would later become a player for Real Madrid. By the time the final arrived, Gento was a regular starter for the Madrid team, and he played in that match as well. The final was an exciting game in which the Madrid team managed to secure victory despite being three times behind in the score. The match ended 4-3.
Titles and Records
The Cantabrian's history with Madrid would change radically, going from being criticized by fans and generating doubts among the president, to becoming a fixture in a team that would define an era: the Real Madrid of Di Stefano, Puskas, and...Gento. His time at Real Madrid lasted 18 years, and during that time he would win 12 league titles, which, to this day, is the league record for the player with the most titles in history, along with two Copa del Reys. But even that wasn't enough, Gento participated in eight European Cup finals, a record he shares with Paolo Maldini, and he started six of them, another record in the competition, as he not only started but also won them. The Cantabrian Storm also scored in 3 of the finals in which they participated. As if this weren't enough, Gento also won other international titles of the time such as the Latin Cup, the Small World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.Gento was a revolutionary with his style of play, as football at that time was much less physical and slower than it is today, and Gento's ability to change pace was quite unusual, beginning to shape the future of wingers in the years to come. Defenders struggled greatly when facing him; in fact, one defender once said after a match, "Gento runs a lot, but the worst thing isn't how he runs, it's how he stops." This phrase underscores how he took advantage of his speed to be unpredictable for his opponents.
Another thing worth highlighting is his longevity, as staying at the same club for 18 seasons isn't easy, and doing so at the demanding Real Madrid is even worse. He played so many seasons that he spanned two generations, having arrived alongside Alfredo Di Stéfano and being an important part of the Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning the first five European Cups. But that team ended, and he stayed on until he joined the next generation, with Pirri, Amancio, and Sanchis, and won his sixth European Cup in 1966.